According to a letter sent by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, this is the first of two rounds of funding and is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration.

The grant will enhance the state’s non-profit and public partnerships, as well as attempt of increase recovery support for residents with opioid addictions.

In a joint statement, Senators Leahy and Sanders along with Congressmen Welch stated:

“This new funding will strengthen efforts already underway in Vermont to address the opioid crisis. Our state, like so many others, faces extraordinary challenges resulting from an influx of heroin and fentanyl on a scale that we have never seen before In Washington, we are fighting to commit the resources needed to address this crisis head-on, and to support smart policies that reduce the demand for these drugs. We look forward to working with Governor Scott and his team to help those in need. We owe it to Vermonters to get this right.”

Governor Scott also explained how both he and Vermont health officials were in favor of the integral support for prevention treatment in the state as well as recovery and enforcement efforts. “We are taking a comprehensive approach, and this funding will help strengthen our ability to effectively address the opioid crisis in our state,” said Gov. Scott.

Grants will be awarded to all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories. The amounts granted are based on the state’s amounts of deaths caused by overdose and an unmet need for treatment.

In 2016, there were 106 accidental fatalities related to opioids. This was a 41 percent increase from the previous year. Since 2010, the opioid-related death rate has more than doubled.

Between the years of 2010 and 2015, there were 21 reported deaths related to opiod use in Caledonia County. Between those same years, 5 in Essex and 23 in Orleans County. Chittenden County has the highest rate, with 159 reported deaths between 2010 and 2015.